Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Monday, Aug. 14, 2023:
The state of Texas wildfires, heading into summer’s hottest week
Amid a dry and scorching summer, wildfires are surging across Texas. The state has issued disaster declarations in nearly 200 counties.
Kari Hines from the Texas A&M Forest Service joins the Standard with the latest on the situation:
Some recent, under-the-radar rulings about guns and the Second Amendment
Federal courts, from the Supreme Court down, have issued a flurry of rulings on Second Amendment-related cases.
The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals recently ruled that a marijuana conviction should not be a bar to gun possession, while the Supreme Court recently allowed regulation on “ghost guns” to remain in place.
Where do we stand with gun laws in Texas? Southern Methodist University associate law professor Eric Ruben joins us with an overview.
San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich enshrined in Basketball Hall of Fame
Texas and San Antonio were well-represented at basketball’s 2023 Hall of Fame ceremony in Massachusetts this weekend. The Naismith Hall of Fame headliner: none other than Spurs Head Coach Gregg Popovich.
Texas Public Radio’s Dan Katz reports.
Why the Texas grid is holding up this summer
Texas is entering another week of scorching heat, with triple-digit highs projected for Texas’ metro areas. Along with record heat, we’ve also seen record electricity demand to keep homes and business cool – and so far, the power’s stayed on.
Matt Smith, energy analyst for Kpler, joins us with more on why power grid manager ERCOT has managed to avoid major issues.
We’re all under the same sun – but its heat isn’t distributed equitably
It’s been a record-breaking summer across Texas. And the forecast indicates the heat isn’t going away anytime soon.
For city dwellers, these summer temperatures are a bigger challenge for folks depending on which neighborhoods they live in. KUT’s Olivia Aldridge has the view from Austin.
This week in Texas music history
Tejano singer Laura Canales, who was born this week in Kingsville, began singing in the early 1970s with area groups, going on to be known as the “First Lady of Song in South Texas.”
Jason Mellard with the Center for Texas Music History at Texas State University shares her story:
Geothermal energy is growing in Texas
When we talk about renewable energy, especially in Texas, we’re usually referring to solar and wind, especially with the huge boom we’ve seen in the latter over the past few years. But new technology advances mean that geothermal energy may soon become a bigger part of the nation’s energy generation mix.
Alex Brown has been writing about this for the nonprofit Newsroom Stateline, where he covers the environment. He joins us today.
Carbon capture is coming to the King Ranch
Last week, the Biden administration made a billion-dollar investment in direct air capture, which sucks carbon emissions out of the atmosphere and stores them underground.
The Energy Department is financing two projects, including one at the famed King Ranch in Kleberg County. James Osborne, Washington-based economic correspondent for the Houston Chronicle, joins us with the latest.
All this, plus the Texas Newsroom’s state roundup and Wells Dunbar with the Talk of Texas.
